Board denies reprimand over emergency care

The North Eastern Health Board has denied it reprimanded staff at Monaghan General Hospital for providing emergency care to women in labour.

A spokeswoman for the board said that in the case of a pregnant mother presenting at Monaghan Hospital in an emergency, "the policy is that the mother is assessed, stabilised and transferred as rapidly as possible to either the Cavan or Drogheda sites where obstetrical services can be delivered safely".

She said: "In the event that delivery is inevitable prior to transfer the protocol states that the attending doctor(s) and nurse(s) will assist with the delivery and aftercare of the mother and baby in accordance with the principle of providing limited emergency care.

"This has happened in the past in Monaghan Hospital and, contrary to reports in the media, staff were not reprimanded for providing this emergency care."

Referring to calls for an emergency neo-natal transfer ambulance, she said there was only one such vehicle in the State, attached to the Rotunda.

The board had placed an additional two A&E ambulances at the Monaghan Hospital site when maternity services were suspended there in February 2001, she added.

These are on a 24-hour, seven-day basis "to respond to all emergency calls including maternity cases".

"All A&E ambulances carry a sealed maternity pack and emergency medical technicians are trained in emergency childbirth," she added.

"All ambulances have the necessary resuscitation facilities and staff are fully trained in the use of such equipment.

"When an ambulance crew receive a call-out to a woman in labour it is Ambulance Service policy to request that a nurse mid-wife, if available, goes with the crew."

The spokeswoman also dismissed claims from the Irish Nurses' Organisation that nurses had requested an on-call midwife. The board had not received such a request, she said.

However, Ms Patsy Doyle of INO said she was "furious" at such a claim.

"I was at a meeting on October 8th with the CEO of the health board and requested one. I followed that request with a letter on November 27th," she said.

The health board spokeswoman said the board could not discuss how the protocols applied to the Livingstone case as it had been advised by legal staff that it would be inappropriate while a review of the circumstances was ongoing.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, has appointed the third member of the team to review the findings of the North Eastern Health Board inquiry into the Monaghan birth tragedy.

Ms Bridget Boyd, a clinical midwife manager (neonatal) in the Coombe Women's Hospital in Dublin, will join Mr Sean Daly, the Master of the Coombe, and Ms Maureen Lynott, the head of the Treatment Purchase Fund.

The three will evaluate the NEHB report and investigate further, if necessary, before reporting to the Minister by the end of next week, the Department of Health confirmed.